Dual Mediating Effect of Spousal Support and Child Support in the Effects of Marital Intimacy on the Spousal Caregiving Awareness

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the dual mediating effects of child support and spousal support in the
effects of marital intimacy, on the spouse caregiving awareness targeting the middle to high elderly, noted
as having the age of 45 years or older. The subjects of this study were middle to high elderly participants
having the age of 45 years or older, and who were found to be residing in the Chungnam region, Korea. The
survey was conducted from July to August 2018. To determine the dual mediation effect of spousal support
and child support in the effects of marital intimacy on the spouse caregiving awareness, a SPSS PROCESS
macro model 6 proposed by Hayes (2018) was used.
The martial intimacy had a significant positive effect on the child support, spouse support, and spouse
caregiving awareness. In addition, child support had a positive effect on the spousal support, and the spousal
support had a positive effect on the spouse caregiving awareness. However, the effect of child support on
spouse caregiving awareness was noted as not as significant. In addition, the total effect of marital intimacy
on spouse caregiving awareness was ?=.7043 which had a positive effect. The direct effect of marital
intimacy on spouse caregiving awareness was ?=.3431 which was noted as being lower than the total effect.
Therefore, it can be seen that the mediating effects of child support and spousal support are significant in
this case as measured during the study. And, the bootstrap was used to verify the simple and dual mediating
effects of child support and spouse support. The dual mediating effect of child support and spousal support
in the effects of marital intimacy on the spouse caregiving awareness was subsequently verified in this case.
In the case of having low caregiving awareness due to a low sense of intimacy with the spouse, in addition to
improving the caregiving awareness by improving intimacy with the spouse, a method for improving child
support and spousal support should be actively reviewed as a way to find interventions to increase this level
of support in a marriage